Is Starlink the Right Choice for You in Rotherham?
Online connectivity can be difficult to maintain, even if you work in technology. The rapid advancement of the tech world can leave us wondering what we really need, and what is empty promises versus the truth. Starlink is one of the more famous examples of a highly-celebrated technology where not everything is as it seems.
Having a look at what Starlink is, what it offers, and how it works, we want to explore whether it might be the right choice for your internet connection in Rotherham. Is it really worth making a change for?
The Basics of Speed
Before looking at Starlink and other internet systems in Rotherham, we first need to understand a couple of simple terms:
- Bandwidth – the amount of data that can be moved at once, commonly measured today in megabits per second (Mbps);
- Latency – the time it takes for a signal to perform a round trip. While data uses ultra-fast electrical signals, the distance the signal needs to travel can still impart significant delays in some instances.
Early Satellite Internet
Starlink is essentially the newest version of satellite internet connectivity. This is not a new technology, with the first commercial satellite internet launched back in 2003. This was when many users were moving from dial-up internet to DSL solutions. While many of us knew about bandwidth at the time and were impressed by early satellite internet, fewer understood the implications of latency.
The bandwidth possibilities of even early satellite connections could be much greater than dial-up and could be available where DSL wasn’t yet connected. The nature of these early systems also creates issues with latency that would plague some users, however.
Early satellite connections used geosynchronous orbits, meaning the satellites would sit in a fixed space above the Earth instead of orbiting around it. To prevent them from falling into Earth's gravity, they would be placed around 35,000 km above the planet. This distance added significant latency, and this is what the implementation of Starlink intended to overcome.
Starlink’s Solution
By comparison, Starlink's satellites are only around 500 km above the Earth. To prevent falling, they need to move extremely quickly, around 27,000 mph. This means one satellite is almost impossible to lock onto for any length of time, which, in turn, is why Starlink has flooded Earth’s orbit with 6,000 satellites. A special satellite dish helps keep users connected, while the much closer distance solves the issue of latency.
Facts and Claims
When Starlink works, it is a fantastic technology, but so is the modern cabled standard of fibre. Fibre is so good that even a fraction of modern high speeds is more than most users need. For an illustration of this, consider the demands the average person places on their connection.
A prime example of the lower-end of speed demands is demonstrated in the landscape of online casinos. Freespins casinos like Atlantic Spin and Betano Casino begin with browsing, collecting bonuses like free spins and deposit matches, and playing games. Whether on mobile or computer, these systems operate just fine with speeds of 10 Mbps, not even close to the 1,000 Mbps speed offered by many Rotherham ISPs.
Ultra-high-definition video streams from services like Netflix and YouTube are more demanding, but still hardly push modern connections to their limits. A 4K video stream can take up to 50 Mbps, which means you could run 20 of these streams simultaneously before hitting a theoretical 1000 Mbps bandwidth peak. Since Starlink can offer between 500–250 Mbps, it should be a great fit, right? Well, not entirely…
To Starlink or Not to Starlink
The big issue with Starlink isn’t bandwidth or latency, it's reliability. Starlink needs to be able to find a direct connection to a satellite, it needs a sight line free of trees and buildings, and it needs clear atmospheric conditions. If there are issues in any of these areas, connections can suffer, and even the least demanding systems can disconnect. Forget streaming a film, even browsing can become impossible, and this hurdle is something prospective customers here in Rotherham need to understand.
In almost all cases, cabled fibre is currently the best choice for Rotherham residents. That said, if it or ADSL is unavailable to you, then Starlink can still be a great choice. Just remember it’s not a perfect solution, and it shouldn’t be used as an alternative if traditional and cheaper alternative options already exist. Of course, it’s your money, so it’s your choice.
Images: flickr / Mike Seyfang / Alan Levine
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Having a look at what Starlink is, what it offers, and how it works, we want to explore whether it might be the right choice for your internet connection in Rotherham. Is it really worth making a change for?
The Basics of Speed
Before looking at Starlink and other internet systems in Rotherham, we first need to understand a couple of simple terms:
- Bandwidth – the amount of data that can be moved at once, commonly measured today in megabits per second (Mbps);
- Latency – the time it takes for a signal to perform a round trip. While data uses ultra-fast electrical signals, the distance the signal needs to travel can still impart significant delays in some instances.
Starlink is essentially the newest version of satellite internet connectivity. This is not a new technology, with the first commercial satellite internet launched back in 2003. This was when many users were moving from dial-up internet to DSL solutions. While many of us knew about bandwidth at the time and were impressed by early satellite internet, fewer understood the implications of latency.
The bandwidth possibilities of even early satellite connections could be much greater than dial-up and could be available where DSL wasn’t yet connected. The nature of these early systems also creates issues with latency that would plague some users, however.
Early satellite connections used geosynchronous orbits, meaning the satellites would sit in a fixed space above the Earth instead of orbiting around it. To prevent them from falling into Earth's gravity, they would be placed around 35,000 km above the planet. This distance added significant latency, and this is what the implementation of Starlink intended to overcome.
Starlink’s Solution
By comparison, Starlink's satellites are only around 500 km above the Earth. To prevent falling, they need to move extremely quickly, around 27,000 mph. This means one satellite is almost impossible to lock onto for any length of time, which, in turn, is why Starlink has flooded Earth’s orbit with 6,000 satellites. A special satellite dish helps keep users connected, while the much closer distance solves the issue of latency.
Facts and Claims
When Starlink works, it is a fantastic technology, but so is the modern cabled standard of fibre. Fibre is so good that even a fraction of modern high speeds is more than most users need. For an illustration of this, consider the demands the average person places on their connection.
A prime example of the lower-end of speed demands is demonstrated in the landscape of online casinos. Freespins casinos like Atlantic Spin and Betano Casino begin with browsing, collecting bonuses like free spins and deposit matches, and playing games. Whether on mobile or computer, these systems operate just fine with speeds of 10 Mbps, not even close to the 1,000 Mbps speed offered by many Rotherham ISPs.
Ultra-high-definition video streams from services like Netflix and YouTube are more demanding, but still hardly push modern connections to their limits. A 4K video stream can take up to 50 Mbps, which means you could run 20 of these streams simultaneously before hitting a theoretical 1000 Mbps bandwidth peak. Since Starlink can offer between 500–250 Mbps, it should be a great fit, right? Well, not entirely…
The big issue with Starlink isn’t bandwidth or latency, it's reliability. Starlink needs to be able to find a direct connection to a satellite, it needs a sight line free of trees and buildings, and it needs clear atmospheric conditions. If there are issues in any of these areas, connections can suffer, and even the least demanding systems can disconnect. Forget streaming a film, even browsing can become impossible, and this hurdle is something prospective customers here in Rotherham need to understand.
In almost all cases, cabled fibre is currently the best choice for Rotherham residents. That said, if it or ADSL is unavailable to you, then Starlink can still be a great choice. Just remember it’s not a perfect solution, and it shouldn’t be used as an alternative if traditional and cheaper alternative options already exist. Of course, it’s your money, so it’s your choice.
Images: flickr / Mike Seyfang / Alan Levine
